Notus

Notus is the south wind in Greek mythology and one of the Anemoi, the wind gods who personify the cardinal directions. The name derives from the Greek word for south. In standard mythic lists, he appears with Boreas (the north wind), Zephyrus (the west wind), and Eurus (the east wind). Hesiod’s Theogony identifies Notus as a son of Eos, the dawn, and Astraeus, the Titan associated with the stars, placing him among the divine beings associated with weather and celestial phenomena.

Notus represents the hot, dry air that comes from the southern skies and is associated with late-summer heat and the storms that such winds can bring. In ancient art, he is typically depicted as a winged youth, though he is less central to dramatic myth than some of the other wind gods. In Roman tradition, his counterpart is Auster. Notus is often named in literary descriptions of seasonal weather and the movements of the winds, rather than as a primary driver of specific mythic narratives. See also Anemoi; Boreas; Zephyrus; Eurus; Auster; Eos; Astraeus.